TOKYO: National swimmer Muhammad Nur Syaiful Zulkafli (pix) suffered another disappointment when he was disqualified in the men’s 100 metres (m) breaststroke SB4 (physical disability) heats at the Tokyo Paralympics here, today.
Nur Syaiful was the third swimmer to touch home at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre but was disqualified for an infringement during the race and thus failed to make the final this afternoon.
National Sports Council (MSN) Paralympic Division director Mohd Sofian Hamzah confirmed that the 26-year-old swimmer was disqualified for committing yet another technical mistake.
“Nur Syaiful’s head did not emerge to the surface of the water for a distance of 15 metres in the early stage of the race,” he told Bernama.
Dmitrii Cherniaev of the Russian Paralympic Committee won the heat in 1 minute 33.42 sec (s), while his countryman Aleksandr Molkov was second (1:44.37s) and Francesco Bocciardo of Italy was third (1:51.11s).
Only the top eight swimmers from the two heats qualify for the final.
On Wednesday, Nur Syaiful was also disqualified in heat one of the men’s 200m freestyle S5 (physical disability) on a technical issue, after he was found swimming with a plaster patch on his left shoulder to reduce the pain from an injury.
However, the following day, Nur Syaiful broke his personal record in the men’s 100m freestyle S5 (physical disability) final.
He finished seventh out of eight swimmers with a time of 1:15.12s, erasing his personal best of 1:15.39s set in London in 2019.
Nur Syaiful, who suffered deformity in both legs after being involved in an accident when he was 17 years old, has one more chance to prove himself, when he takes part in the 50m freestyle S5 (physical disability) event on Wednesday.
-Bernama
